One Hundred And Nine
by Blinkingman
Summary: Sahashi Minato is a fresh twice failed Ronin whose life flips upside down when a mysterious girl named Uzume literally falls into his life. Now, through their new bond, Minato and Uzume must undergo the harsh trials of the Sekirei Plan, gaining both allies and enemies alike.
1. A Veiled Introduction

**AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ! VERY IMPORTANT!**

 **Hello Fanfiction dot Net! This is Blinkingman, a long time lurker of this site but author of other sites who has finally grown a pair and posted here! Now this is my first story on this site (in fact this is my first fanfiction based off of an anime) and yes it's Sekirei which i know is not the most popular show ever. Now to clear a few things up so I won't get flamed later on (although I do use flames to cook my burgers)**

 **1\. This will be M for LANGUAGE, LEMONS, AND VIOLENCE.  
2\. I will not tolerate outright BASHINGS of my story. When I say I appreciate flames (which I say now) I mean that I want a few people to question my story if they find a serious flaw, or maybe something seems outright stupid. But INFERNOS are not tolerated.  
3\. This is a slightly AU Universe of Sekirei with some noticeable differences. First off, Minaka is not some happy/crazy fool running the S-Plan. He's going to be serious and calculating throughout the story and he will be a large part other than what the universe has made him. Also, since this is an AU, there are going to be some elements that aren't canon (Gasp! What a surprise!).  
4\. Please Review! I love those! Be Critical or Appreciative! I don't care! Review Please!**

 **Now go and enjoy my first story ever!**

Have you ever woken up one day and just _known_ that everything in the world that could go wrong for you would? For others maybe the day would start off with their tie or shoes missing. Soon it would degenerate into a traffic jam on the way to work due to a car wreck on the road. So you're late to work and your boss just _happened_ to have coffee spilled on his pants earlier in the day and is just _itching_ to chew somebody out and look who happens to be late to work? See what I'm getting at here? Nothing seems to ever go right for you that one day.

My day already was starting off like this.

I failed to get into Shinto Teito University… for the second time. What was I going to tell my mom? She had such high hopes for me this time that she seemed almost positive I would get in. And Yukari…

I shake my head and grit my teeth. _That_ torture I would like to save for a later date. Maybe some time after I'm dead would be nice, although she'd make sure to find me and mock me in the afterlife.

With a sigh I pull out my phone and hesitantly dial my mom's number. Not even once does her phone ring before she picks it up.

"Minato, I wasn't expecting a call from you so soon." My mother's calm voice drifts through the earpiece. Calm, heh, what a charade.

"Yeah, I thought I wouldn't wait this year to tell you." I reply vaguely.

"So… how'd you do?"

I open my mouth to respond and only see one vision of my untimely death. "I-I failed again Kaa-san. I have to retake the test next year…" I unconsciously grip the phone tightly as my body prepares for the verbal beatdown it _knows_ is coming.

"Oh Minato, what am I going to do with you?" My mom sighs through the phone "Do you even have a backup college to get into?" I don't even need to reply to tell her the answer she already knows. She sucks in that breath she takes before she yells.

"Goddammit Minato you're smarter than this!" I wince and pull the phone away from my ear. _There's_ the shouting. "How the hell do you go from nationally recognized high school student to two time failure?"

"I don't know Kaa-san…"

"Look, I've got work to do right now. Don't worry, we _will_ talk later about this. As of now, I'm halving your allowance until you decide to get your head on straight. Maybe you should try and _work_ for a living. It might help you next year. Bye Minato."

"Bye Kaa-san…" I reply quietly and pull the phone away from my ear and snap it shut. I'm lucky, I guess, to get off that easily. Halving my allowance is _definitely_ going to hurt me right now but it's not as bad as it could have been.

I stroll aimlessly down the sidewalk as the conversation with my mother replays itself in my head. I can't even argue with her (not that I would in the first place no matter how right I am). I was nationally recognized as one of the top students in Japan back in high school. I was one of the best in the entire _country_. By all accounts I should have passed the entrance exam with flying colors on my first try. That's what my grades say anyway. But when I was in that room at the university, staring down at the test packet I panicked. I second guessed every question I answered. Hell, some I left blank because nothing seemed right at all. My confidence flew out the window as soon as my butt hit that chair and the test hit the table in front of me.

"Hey, look out below! I can't grab anything with my veils!" A feminine voice screams from above. I look up into an ever growing shadow I didn't notice in my ponderings for a split second before something plows straight into my chest knocking me into the ground and then some as I slide on the concrete.

"Son of a bitch!" I can't help but curse out as I grab my now skinned knee.

"Oh my god I'm sorry!" That female voice from earlier exclaims with worry "Im so so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and these buildings are hard to grab with my veils!" A shadow falls over me again and my vision is soon occupied by a female face.

And it's _beautiful_. Her eyes were a rich chocolate brown unlike any other. Her hair was brown too, with a ponytail tied off to the left side of her head, an odd but strangely cute hairstyle. Her hair wasn't the strangest part about her either. Her dress was. White cloth covered her upper and lower body. Her toned midsection and long slender legs were exposed along with most of her face. Even stranger was the long white veils that extended from her dress that lay flat on the ground behind her.

"Are you ok?" She asks me in worry.

"Yeah" I grunt out "It's just a skinned knee."

"Oh thank _god_! I thought I hurt you badly…" The girl still stared at my bleeding knee. She bit her lip in indecision, like she was trying to think. It only lasted a second but her brow set in determination. And that's when my day got _strange_.

Right before my eyes one of the long tendrils behind her slowly lifted off the ground and moved over to my knee. It _moved by itself_ and floated towards me of its own will, seemingly.

"Woah, woah" I scoot back unconsciously "What the hell!?"

"It's ok" The girl smiles at me "I'm controlling it." Controlling it? What the hell does she mean by that?

My thoughts are interrupted as the tendril softly touches my knee. I watch the cloth slowly wrap around the injury. The white veil tightens around the injury and tears itself. The girl's hands slowly take the limp end of the makeshift bandage and tie a knot to the other loose end she left out.

"There, all better now." She smiles and stands up. She offers me her hand.

 _Very_ hesitantly I take it. The brown haired girl lifts me up to my feet.

"How's it feel?"

I put some weight on the leg. Except for a quick spike of pain from my knee nothing's wrong.

"It feels… good."

The girl smiles at me with her brilliantly white teeth. "Awesome. I wouldn't want a civilian hurt because of me. _Especially_ on my very first day."

Civilian? If I was a civilian then what was she? Some kind of secret government agent? That would at least explain the magic clothes that were subtly swirling around her.

"Oh! I'm so rude! My name's Uzume, Sekirei Number Ten! Usually I wouldn't add that last part but you've already seen what I can do. What's the point of hiding it?"

"You're a wagtail?" I ask. Uzume looked sheepish.

"Ah, well I can't really explain that or else, um… I can't explain that either. Let's just say it would lead to… unpleasantness."

Unpleasantness? What, is it an awkward story or something?

And that's the moment my brain caught up with reality. Of course I only have one thing to ask her…

"Did you just jump from a seven story building?"

"Was it seven stories? It seemed higher." What the hell!?

"But did you jump from it?"

"Yeah, I did." Uzume shrugs nonchalantly "How else would I get down?"

The stairs maybe? But I kept that thought to myself.

Uzume flashed me another smile before turning. "Well it's been nice meeting you…"

"Minato" I tell her.

"Minato, but I've _really_ got to go, like now, or else-"

In that moment I feel the hairs on my body rise. I can smell the ozone that just suddenly appeared in the air. Something, a feeling or instinct perhaps, runs through my body and I shove all my weight at Uzume. We both tumble forward into the pavement. Not even half a second later, the spot we were standing in explodes and the sound of thunder echoes through the area. I'm above Uzume on my hands and knees.

"Are you okay?" I look into her stunned face.

"Y-Yeah." Uzume's cheeks just the tiniest hint of red as I smile.

"Good" I nod.

"Hey! You! Get off of Number Ten before I blast you both!" A loud, and quite angry, female voice shouted at us.

"Hikari… We can't just shock civilians…" A more demure voice butts in. I can feel the frustration that sentence causes. For some reason I see another untimely vision of my death. Or was it timely, since my kaa-san was going to kill me anyway. Either way I was probably going to die today which only lead me to one thought…

Please listen to the demure voice, oh angry female.

"Look, I'll give you ten seconds to get off of Number Ten! After that I _will_ shock you, civilian or not!"

I raise an eyebrow and look into Uzume's eyes. "Friends of yours?"

"Hardly" Uzume snorts "They've been chasing me all day."

"Do you know what they mean by shock? Do they have a taser?" Uzume's face contorts into an odd expression. Oh wait, I've seen that one before on my mom and sister. That's the 'I want to laugh at you but you don't deserve it but dear god I want to laugh' face.

"They're… like me. With my veils I mean.

"But with electricity."

"It's more like lightning but yeah."

I sigh. "Of course it is." I barely manage to get to my feet before the angry female behind me screams again.

"Nine… Ten! You asked for it civvie!" The smell of ozone once again pervades my nostrils.

"Hey, you ready to run?" I ask Uzume as I lift her to her feet.

"What?"

"You ready to bolt, no pun intended? I don't want a beautiful girl like you hurt."

"Are you serious?!" Uzume blushes but still shoots me an astounded expression "Those two could tear you apart in a second!"

I shrug. At this moment, it really doesn't matter what those two girls behind me do to me. I just want to see Uzume get away safely. And if I can help her get away, I'll do everything I can.

"Look, I've had a really crappy day today and I don't think it could get much worse. But hey, if I have the opportunity to help a girl as beautiful as you out, I can sleep tonight knowing I made something out of a day as bad as this." Uzume's face colors a few shades darker.

"I'm going to turn around and distract them. Don't ask me how, I don't know yet. But when I do, you _run_. Got it?"

Uzume stares at me wordlessly. Her face is a deep red. Behind her, her veils twitch nervously.

" _Do you understand_?" I firmly grab her shoulders. Very slowly she nods. It's almost imperceptible but she nods.

I give her one quick grin and turn fast.

"Stop! Please stop!" I shout and turn. My hands are up just for good effect.

The first thing I notice when I turn is that the two girls are wearing S&M outfits which are _not_ suitable for anybody to see in public. Just think of the children why don't you! A dirty grin forms in my thoughts when I realize the same could be said about Uzume's super revealing outfit. But hers was, ah, better because it was more innocent looking in with its white color. Right?

The second thing I notice is that they're only fifteen or twenty feet away. A small smile splits my lips. That made everything a whole lot easier.

"You gonna walk away kid?" The girl in the purple outfit shouted indignantly. Kid? They don't look more than a year or two older than me.

"I guess I am" I want to look over my shoulder and see if Uzume's left yet, but it's obvious she hasn't based on the twin's reactions. "I don't know what beef you have with this girl but it's obviously not mine." I start to slowly walk towards the two sisters.

"Just walk away and you won't get hurt" the purple one snarls. Lightning flickers in her upturned palm, catching my eye. "You don't want to annoy us, _trust me_."

"Alright, alright, I'm moving" I sigh and put my hands down. I walk to the left a bit and heads past the one with the anger-management problems. And just as I pass them…

I tackle into the purple one, whose name is Hikari I remember vaguely, which sends us both sprawling into her twin. All of us fall and spill onto the ground, this time my weight hitting my already skinned knee incorrectly. Fire shoots through my entire leg and spreads through my body as the leg twists the wrong way and a crack resounds audibly. I gasp in pain but my objective is still remembered.

"RUN UZUME! RUN AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN!" I shout out through the pain. Kami it hurts but I've got to make sure Uzume knows what to do. I mean, she probably knows enough to run when I tackle Hikari but still, I have to make sure.

" _Get the fuck off me_!" Hikari snarls and roughly flings me off of her. And when I say 'fling' I mean I flew back into the hard, cement wall of the building behind me. My back slams into the wall. _Hard._ All the breath is knocked out of me and scrapes and bruises start to flower all over my back. I bounce off the wall and land on the ground on my side, still facing oppositely from where Uzume and I were standing.

" _YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! What the fuck made you think you could just go and do that to me!?"_ Hikari stalks over towards me with an expression of livid fury on her face. In fact, her whole body just oozes righteous hatred and palpable contempt towards my entire existence and everything that has to do with it.

"Hikari! Don't hurt him! You _know_ what's going to happen if you do!"

"I don't fucking care Hibiki!" Hikari snarls at her sister before turning her attention back to me.

"I'm going to rip you the _fuck_ apart and fry every piece of your _fucking_ body into ashes you disgusting _fuck_!" Hikari practically screams into my face. She lifts me up by my throat and held my body up so we were eye level. Her entire body is sparking and flashing with electricity. I can feel the current running through me. It makes everything feel clearer, more sharp; especially the pain.

Dear god I've finally been scared of something more than my mother.

"Get ready to die" Hikari holds her free hand, which is glaring with electricity, in front of my chest. Right next to my heart. This is how I die.

" _LET HIM GO!"_ A familiar voice shouts out. Hikari's face turns, surprise replacing her previous expression of bloodlust before she's slammed by a large wall of white which sends her tumbling and me falling back towards the ground without the support of her hand around my throat. Before I can even start falling a soft surface slowly envelops me. I can feel the movement of… moving through the air. And for some reason I feel no surprise when Uzume's smiling face leans down over mine. And her cheeks are wet too, I can see.

"I thought I told you to run" I smile awkwardly. She gives a laugh mixed with a hiccup, or a sob it sounds more like.

"I did run. I ran as soon as you tackled her."

"Doesn't look like it. Unless you're a hallucination of course."

"No, I promise I'm not a hallucination. I came back as soon as I heard screaming." She must've heard Hikari's screams at me because I didn't make anything louder than a gasp. "I'm so glad I did" a fresh tear rolled down her cheek.

"You should've left Uzume-san. You still should! Go, run! I won't be able to distract them as long but I'm certain I can still do something!" I try to get out of her firm grip before a slight crack emanates from my leg.

"I'm not running anywhere Minato. In fact, I don't think I'll ever need to run again." I open my mouth to protest that statement because there were two girls with the power of lightning about to blast us to kingdom come which is a pretty good reason to run in my own opinion. But before I can get any of those thoughts out…

Uzume leans down and puts her lips to mine.

With a flare of brilliant white, two large wings shimmer into existence behind Uzume's back right above a strange crest that appeared right below her neck. The wings stretch and shine brightly engulfing me and Uzume.

"Let the veil of my contract destroy the nightmare of my Ashikabi." Uzume sighed happily before snuggling against me. "My Ashikabi, now and forever."

" _Fuck!_ " Hikari's vicious scream is close. Too close for comfort. There she is, standing next to her sister.

"You're damn lucky we don't mess with winged Sekirei" Hikari growls "but next time we meet don't expect to live." Hikari's body sparks with electricity. I bob my head up and down.

"You'll have to go through me first" Uzume snarls at the twin.

"Whatever. Hibiki, let's go." Hikari jumped onto the building next to us. Hibiki shot us a glance, almost as if she was happy for us, and left the same way her sister did.

And then it's me and Uzume leaning up against a building, her arms wrapped around my torso. I can't help but feel slightly… excited in this position but I try to control those feelings.

"That was… exciting" I manage to chuckle out.

"Mmm…" Uzume snuggles deeper into my chest. Why is she still here?

"Ah, Uzume? You can let go now. They're gone." I try to extricate myself from her arms but she refuses to budge.

"No, I'm never letting go." Uzume buries her head into my chest. It only takes a few seconds but I feel the dampness on my chest. Uzume's soft sobs drift up to my ears.

"Hey, Uzume, what's wrong?"

"I finally found you, my Ashikabi-sama, and I almost lost you… If you had died… I wouldn't have been able to… I couldn't…" Uzume couldn't finish as a wave of fresh tears came. I just held the distraught girl tightly against my chest and let her cry. It took a few minutes, but she got through her short grieving spurt and pulled away from my chest, wiping her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Minato-kun. I haven't even properly introduced myself yet." Uzume stood up and did a slight curtsy.

"Sekirei Number Ten, Uzume, is your Sekirei, now and forever Ashikabi-sama." Uzume practically glowed as she said those words.

"Ah, Uzume, you keep saying 'Sekirei' and 'Ashikabi-sama' but I'm completely lost. What are those?"

Uzume placed a finger on my lips. "Not here. That's something to discuss in private." She looked worried almost.

"We can go back to my place. We'll have to hide from my landlord, but we can make it work."

"That's perfect Minato-sama." Uzume flashed another brilliant smile.

To say my small little flat was uninviting was an understatement. It was the definition of plain, with a small kitchen, a living room with futon, a tv in the corner, and a small table to finish up the entire ensemble. And to say I was embarrassed to show a girl as beautiful as Uzume into a home as shabby and uninteresting as mine was also an understatement.

But Uzume didn't care.

She seemed genuinely happy to just be with me and to talk with me, no matter what we were talking about or where we were going. When I showed her my little flat she smiled another bright smile and walked in as if she were my roommate. She was completely comfortable around me which was awkward because I was still very much so nervous around her.

"Hey, do you want anything to drink? I would offer food, but, you're probably not gonna want instant ramen. But it's not like I can't cook!" I could cook actually. I was good at it too! "It's just I have to save money and real meals cost a lot so-"

"Water is fine, Minato-kun" Uzume smiled. I hurriedly filled a glass for her.

A moment later, and we were sitting at my small table. Uzume's hands were wrapped around the glass of water. My attention for the moment was focused on her veils which were fluttering behind her excitedly. It almost looked like… they had a life of their own.

"H-How do you do that?" I ask absentmindedly pointing at the fluttering veils.

"That's my ability as a Sekirei. I'm Sekirei Ten, the Veil Sekirei. I can control my veils and use them as weapons, tools, almost anything I wish."

"Ah, you've never really explained what a Sekirei exactly _is_."

"It's not really my place to tell you but… To put it simply, I'm an alien."

What.

What.

WHAT!?

"Woah, woah, you're an _alien_!?" Uzume nodded.

"I'm one of one hundred and eight life forms found by MBI on Kamikura Island."

"One hundred and eight? There are others like you?" Uzume nodded again. "I'm going to guess those twins chasing you were Sekirei. Am I right?" A third nod.

"All one hundred and eight Sekirei are participating in something called the Sekirei Plan, where we go and-"

" _I thought you weren't allowed to explain that Uzume-chan"_ Both Uzume and I jump as my singular television set blinks on with the face of a white haired man taking up the entire screen. His expression is deadly serious as he looks at both of us.

"H-Hakase! I-I apologize for my breach of conduct!" Uzume turns pale in fear and starts shaking like a leaf.

" _I'll let you go this once Uzume, only because the boy's your Ashikabi already. But do remember to follow the rules from now on."_ The white haired man turns his attention from the very relieved Uzume to me. He and I stare at each other in silence for a few moments. I can tell he's gauging me as a person for this short time. Me? I'm trying to place a name on that extremely familiar face.

" _Welcome to the Sekirei Plan Sahashi Minato-kun. I'd like to congratulate you on winging Number Ten, Uzume."_ His deadly serious expression doesn't waver in the slightest as he speaks. I can tell this is not a man to screw around with. _"You already know what Sekirei really are, but you're wondering where you play a part in all this. To put it simply, you are Uzume's Ashikabi, or in simpler terms, her human master."_

"M-M-MASTER!?" I quickly put my hand to my nose to stifle the oncoming blood flow.

" _When a human with Ashikabi potential kisses a Sekirei, they exchange DNA via the touch of their mucus membranes. This exchange causes the Sekirei to grow her wings, but in return they are forever bonded to the human they kissed. You and Uzume are now forever bonded."_ The man paused for a moment to adjust his glasses. _"Now there are other Ashikabi out there with Sekirei of their own. All Ashikabi and Sekirei are to participate in the Sekirei Plan. The Sekirei Plan is a city-wide battle royale where each Sekirei will fight until only one remains. The final Sekirei and their Ashikabi will ascend to the heavens, where they will hold the power to change this world forever."_

"Hold up a second" I interrupt his lecture. "You're saying that Uzume has to fight other people?"

" _Of course. However, she is Number Ten, out of one hundred and eight. You're chances are higher than most Sahashi-kun."_

"B-But what if I don't want Uzume to fight? What if we want to live peacefully?"

" _Minato-kun, please understand that this is no game. There can be no quitters. If you fail to participate, I and all of MBI will force you to participate. One way or another. Ah, that leads me to our final and most important rule; Never reveal the Sekirei Plan to any who are not participating in it. If you do, MBI will take that as a voluntary resignation of your Sekirei in which we will send out forces to secure both you and Uzume. Number Ten will be terminated immediately and you will be imprisoned by MBI for an indefinite amount of time."_

Beside me, Uzume had tightly gripped my hand and started shaking like a leaf again. I rubbed the back of her hand with my free hand in an awkward attempt to comfort her.

" _Now if you would be so kind, I have many important matters to attend to. Heading MBI and watching over the Sekirei Plan leaves me with very little time to chat."_ For the first time since he started talking, the man gives a small grin.

" _I, Hiroto Minaka, do wish you the best of luck in the Sekirei Plan Minato-kun."_ The TV shuts off by itself leaving Uzume and me alone in my apartment once again.

Uzume immediately buries her head into my shoulder. Her arms wrap around my body. She pulls me to her, with my arm landing in between her, ah, breasts firmly. Uzume looks up into my eyes with tears welling up and slowly falling down her cheeks.

"Minato, I don't ever want to lose you" Uzume silently sobs as she buries her head into my shoulder. "If I have to, I'll fight every single Sekirei in Tokyo just to stay with you."

"Hopefully it won't come to that Uzume." I try to reply comfortingly as I slowly pat the top of her brown hair.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

 **Hopefully you enjoyed my first chapter of my first story! Not much to say here except R &R please!**

 **PS, I need an unofficial Beta until I get my second chapter out and it pushes me past the 6k word requirement. PM if interested.**


	2. A New Home

**PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE AUTHOR'S NOTE SO YOU DON'T FLAME ME BEFORE OR AFTER READING**

 **Author's Noteroo: First off, I sincerely apologize for the absolutely massive gap between my posting of the story and the update (Jesus a year, holy shitake mushrooms). Almost immediately after I posted the story real life hit, and it hit hard. Let's just say all the shit in the world hit the biggest fan ever and I was caught with no protection in my underwear. But I've got a good thing going now, which means more writing time. THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE, (Hopefully the only one)**

 **Now to Review Responses. I only have 1, and this will be long because I want to get this point out while leaving no room for argument.**

 **Sir who made a comment about the language and the rating (you know who you are). Yes the 'M' rating isn't really necessary right now I will agree with you on that, but it 100% WILL BE NECESSARY LATER ON I GUARANTEE IT. Right now it's up as a warning, just to tell everybody that this story either has and/or will have graphic scenes of various kinds. And also that comment about the "unnecessary" language Hikari made. Have you ever accidentally grabbed a girl's breasts? The words that spewed forth past her lips made my first chapter seem ultra tame in comparison. True Story.**

 **Well thanks and I hope Chapter 2 is somewhat alright, especially considering the wait. It's just story advancement so if you're not satisfied and want to send me hate mail along the lines of "I waited a year for this to update and all I get is boring bullshit and talking instead of juicy lemons and action? Fuck you Blinkingman, I hope your children are born with leprosy, blindness, etc. etc." then save it. This is my story. If you don't like it, don't read it.**

 **But come on, you're gonna come back when I update again, we all know that.**

 _ **I do not own Sekirei. This work is fan-produced for general entertainment purposes.**_

Hiroto Minaka stared at the blank screen that only moments ago had connected him and a certain Sahashi Minato. As Game Master of the Sekirei Plan he made it a point to inform any and all participants of the Plan that he was the one who made the rules. He also made sure they _knew_ that he supervised the upholding of said rules by all the players. But just this once he felt a tinge of worry and anxiety after having spoken to Minato. Even if he was head of MBI, one person still made sure that he knew he couldn't do whatever he pleased and-

" _Get your filthy fucking paws off of me! I have quite a few 'things' to 'say' to that idiot!"_ A female voice roared in rage right outside the entrance to his office. Minaka took a deep breath in preparation.

The door to the office slammed open and inwards stalked a middle aged woman. Although her hair had turned gray due to Kamikura Island's radiation, she still retained the same figure of their university days. She was truly a beautiful woman but with her physical looks came a headstrong personality. Yes, Minaka truly did admire Sahashi Takami.

Takami strode around the desk and slapped Hiroto Minaka across the face as hard as she could.

"How _dare_ you go behind my back like that!?" Minaka looked up at Takami, rubbing his burning cheek. "How dare you lie to my face and tell me Minato and Yukari will be safe?" Takami felt tears spill down onto her cheeks as she faced Minaka. "I begged in front of you. I _cried_ in front of you, in the hope that my children would be safe from this insane game of yours and what the _fuck_ do you do?" Takami gripped the blurry outline of Minaka's collar. "You make my son, my boy, become an Ashikabi right under my nose! I-I should fucking kill you!" Takami hissed.

"Takami, I know you're angry-"

"ANGRY!? I'M FUCKING FURIOUS!"

Minaka sighed. "I know you're angry with me, but none of this was my doing. I fully intended to prevent either Minato or Yukari from encountering any Sekirei."

"If you intended to keep your promise then why is my boy bonded with Number fucking TEN!?"

"Numbers Eleven and Twelve had their own agenda, which happens to interfere with the rules I might add, and attempted to terminate Uzume-chan before she could find her Ashikabi."

"Eh? Eleven and Twelve?" Takami's anger diffused slightly.

Minaka nodded. "Indeed. The twins were pursuing Number Ten relentlessly almost since the moment after her quite delayed release. I was on the verge of sending Blue or Red out to correct the situation until your son stumbled into the fray."

"Of course Minato felt the need to help Uzume…" Takami growled softly. She let go of Minaka and shook her head. "Damn my parenting! Of course _today_ is the day he takes it to heart!" Takami wiped her eyes before sighing and glaring at Minaka. "You're damn lucky that he got such a good Sekirei, Minaka."

"I've already spoken with them. Number Ten seems quite attached to your son."

"I bet she is…" A moment of silence passed "I'm going to call him. I… I don't think I should lie to him anymore."

"Oh? Are you sure that's a smart choice?"

"… It's the right thing to do." And with that doubtful statement Takami strode out of the room. Minaka followed her form as she walked out and closed the door.

"Ah but Takami-kun, when has the right thing ever bothered you?" Minaka looked at the images of Minato and Uzume he had pulled up on his computer screen. "I may not have tried to include Minato to the game, but he only makes it that much more interesting."

The sight before me was breathtaking, to say the least. Here I was sitting in my shabby one person apartment, on my shabby couch, with one of the most beautiful and breathtaking woman I've ever seen lovingly attending to my injured right leg. I hadn't paid attention to the injury as we walked home from our encounter with the Lightning Twins, which I should have because I felt a bone fracture when Hikari threw me off of her. But to my amazement, when I finally remembered about my surely fractured right leg, the only injury was a bruise and a long cut running down my thigh.

"It must have been a side effect of our winging. The resulting energy probably repaired your leg as best it could." Uzume informs me with that brilliantly white smile of hers. And she insisted that, as my Sekirei, she wrap up my cut with one of her veils. Of course I accepted. And now here we were with Uzume concentrating on wrapping my leg along with keeping the wrap tight.

"Hey, Uzume…-chan"

"Yes Minato-kun?" Uzume didn't pause her wrapping but she looked up slightly to indicate she was listening.

"W-What exactly is this, ah, 'bond' we share now?" My curiosity finally took over my voice.

"It's a bond between an Ashikabi and his or her Sekirei. It requires the touching of two mucus membranes in order for DNA to be passed to complete the bond. In other words, it's a kiss."

"So our bond is a kiss?" I ask, confused again. Uzume shook her head.

"No. The kiss is what forms the bond initially. The bond itself is much harder to explain." Uzume took her hands away from my leg, apparently finished and satisfied.

"We have plenty of time Uzume-chan" I told her. I indicate the seat on the couch next to me. Uzume smiled beautifully again before she sat. Immediately she snuggles up to my side. Of course I couldn't contain the blush that bloomed.

"The bond for a Sekirei is what we hold and treasure the most in the world. It's our connection to our Ashikabi, our destined one for life. It's what defines us as Sekirei."

"So what does our bond mean to you Uzume-chan?" I don't know if Uzume could hear my nervousness and hesitation in asking that question. It scared me to think that she wouldn't want me, but her snuggling said otherwise.

"Mmm…" Uzume ran a finger up and down my chest dreamily, seeming to contemplate my question. "What does our bond mean to me? As if you should ask that Minato-kun." I blushed at her attention to my chest.

"Uzume-chan, I want to know what you feel." Uzume looked up at my serious expression.

"To me, Minato-kun is the most important person in the world. He is my Ashikabi as I am his Sekirei, now and forever. Minato-kun is the man I will love for the rest of my life, the man I will fight for, the man I will do _anything_ for. You are my master and I am your little bird, Minato-sama." _Minato-sama?_

I wrap my arms around the girl cuddling up to me. "Uzume, I'm just a worthless two-time failure, barely living off of his mother's allowance. I-I don't know what I did to deserve the love of a beautiful woman such as you, but I will do everything I can to prove to you that I **do** deserve it!"

"Minato-kun, you've already proven that you're worth it" Uzume giggles. I only clutch her tighter to me earning a soft sigh from the Sekirei.

"Really, all I think of now is what we're going to do from this point on."

Uzume tilts her head in slight confusion. "What do you mean?"

Ah, right. She doesn't know my landlord's rules yet, of which I am severely violating multiple of said rules at this very moment. I know I'm going to have to leave this little flat soon because I could not pay for two people in any way possible.

"I… We might have to find somewhere else to stay, Uzume-chan. My landlord doesn't appreciate people breaking their lease."

"Why not?"

I smile at her skepticism over something so simple. She had told me about her sheltered life within MBI so it was understandable that she wouldn't understand much of the outside world.

"I'm only paying enough money so that I can live here alone, Uzume-chan. If my landlord sees that I have a girl living with me, he'll most likely think I'm cheating him out of more money. He might just ask me to change my contract but I doubt he'll be nice enough to do that. "

Uzume's confused look turns to one of… satisfaction? She quickly hops off my lap and reaches into her cleavage pulling out a shiny black card with the large gold letters of "MBI" stamped on it. She holds it in front of her triumphantly while I try to stem my sudden nosebleed. Mostly unsuccessfully of course.

"Back at MBI, they said that this could help with any money problems our Ashikabi may have. Can we use this to pay for two people Minato-kun?"

I stared at the card with a look of near reverence. I didn't even need to ask her if she was sure she could pay because the letters on the card said more than any person ever could. If this was an MBI card given to only one hundred and eight or so people in the world, it probably could buy anything the world had to offer.

"Uh, I ah, I t-think it could but…" My words were failing me. My mom's parental teachings were conflicting heavily with the obvious out from almost any problem in my life. The decision was so _difficult_. Take the card from my super-hot Sekirei, pay for whatever the hell I wanted in my life, live a life of luxury, and just relax for the rest of my days. That was basically what that little black card was.

But still, I was a man, determined to prove to myself that I could handle my own life in my own ways. I didn't need charity handouts from MBI, even if they had a pretty damn convincing advertising girl to hand them out. I was _not_ going to take that card because I wanted to prove I was able to take care of my own life.

"Uzume… I can't take it." I slowly, but gently, push the hand with the offered card back to her chest.

"W-Why Minato-kun? You said you needed money, and as your Sekirei, I am supposed to assist my Ashikabi in anything he requires assistance with."

"Look, Uzume, I really appreciate you trying to do your utmost to help me, but I have something to prove. Yes, I could take that card and all of my problems would be solved, but I wouldn't get any satisfaction out of that. I want to earn my place in the world. And yes, I could use the card to simply pay for a two-person lease, but this place is getting boring. I was planning on moving soon anyway." I smile gently at my Sekirei "But thanks for wanting to help me so much Uzume-chan."

I stand up and stretch slightly to get rid of the cramps when an idea hits me. "Uzume, I won't use that card, but you should use it." She looks up at me, confused once more. "I'm going to spend the next few days looking for a new place to live, which means I won't be here much of the day depending on how my search goes. You should go out and buy some, ah, normal clothes while I'm gone. You can borrow a set of my clothes for the day if you really need to." I snap my fingers as a thought comes to me. "I could ask my sister Yukari if she has any spare clothes to lend… Although I doubt they'll fit too well on you…" I barely prevent the nosebleed as an image of Uzume in Yukari's gym clothes flashes through my head.

"You know what, tomorrow you and I will go clothes shopping and house hunting together. That sounds like a plan, yeah?"

"As long as it is with you Minato-sama, I will be happy with anything we do together."

 _Please Uzume, you don't understand how hard this is to control when you say stuff like that. Especially when you're still in that outfit!_

"Good, good" I wipe away the tiny droplet of blood that escaped.

 _Buzzzzzz Buzzzzzz._ I feel the vibrations from my pocket.

"My phone…?" I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. I take one look at the caller ID and wince visibly.

 _Of course Kaa-san is calling. She said she'd talk later…_

"Is something wrong Minato-kun?" Uzume asks.

"No… It's just my mom." _Which right now means almost everything's wrong._ "This is probably going to take a little while. You should probably wash up Uzume, now's as good a time as any."

"Oh! You're right!" Uzume looks down sheepishly at her stained and slightly torn outfit along with the smooth, supple skin underneath said outfit. "I look like such a mess."

I semi-shooed her away with my hand. "Go take a shower Uzume. It'll help." She nods with her ever present smile and heads into the bathroom.

 _At least she won't see her Ashikabi being beaten up by his own mom._ I flip open the phone and put the receiver up to my ear.

"Umm… Hello?" I ask tentatively.

"I was starting to wonder if you were going to pick up the phone at all. But then again, you never were one to hide from your punishments." Odd, she sounded tired.

"Sorry mom, I was sorta busy."

"I see. Well then, no harm no foul." I frown at the way this conversation has already started. This isn't like my mother, with the general chitchat and forgiving of the late phone pick up. Normally she would have already started chewing off my head from the second she started speaking.

There's an awkward silence between the two of us.

"Mom, I have something to tell you."

"Minato, I have something to say" She says at almost the exact same time. There's another awkward pause.

"You first Minato, what I need to say will… will take some time." More strangeness. I would've been yelled at for interrupting her in a normal conversation.

"Ah, ok… Well, the thing is Mom, I'm probably going to move out some time within the next few days because of some…. Err, complications." I scratch the back of my head nervously, wondering if she will believe me or not. Hopefully with her weird attitude she'll just yell at me without asking what the complications even were.

"Is your allowance cut already biting at you Minato?" She asks with a ghost of a chuckle.

"Of course not. I was just thinking that I should find a new place to live. I hear there are some decent jobs up near the north side of the city. Lots of construction and what not."

"The North? Hmm…" The line goes silent again for a moment before she returns "I might actually have some good news for you. An inn I heard about, it's some distance from the center of the city, but it's not too bad."

"Is it cheap?"

"From what I've heard, yeah, it's not too bad at all. If you get a job it should be easily affordable for you."

I silently clench my fist in pseudo-victory. What luck! An affordable, most likely nice place to live in already picked out! Of course, I don't know any of the specifics about, well, anything at all concerning this place, but if mom picked it out then it has to be all right.

"I guess I'll look into it tomorrow! Thanks mom!"

"Yeah… no problem. After all, I can't tell everybody my ronin son is also homeless, can I?" She laughs loudly, shattering my good mood and embarrassing me despite the lack of people to hear her comment.

"Thanks mom…" I mutter back "Say, didn't you need to tell me something too?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah, I did…" there was a short pause of silence as it seemed she internally debated something. "Now's not really the best time, now that I think about it."

"Ok, I guess."

"Ah, by the way, the name of the inn is 'Izumo Inn.' Got it?"

"Izumo Inn, I got it." I wrote the name down on a sheet of scratch paper.

"I'll talk to you later Minato. I've got work to do."

"Okay, bye mom. It was nice talking to you." I heard a click from the phone and promptly closed my own. I leaned back on the couch with a sigh, a little bit of the stress that had just accumulated today finally lifting off of me. _I really hope that Inn is as cheap as mom says it is. Most places with low prices usually end up being more dumps than residences._ It doesn't matter if it is good or not, at least we have somewhere to start. All that's left is getting a job and clothes shopping for Uzume…

"Minato-kun, do you have any clothes I could borrow?" Uzume's voice broke me out of my planning. I instinctively looked towards the source of her voice.

"Of course Uzume, let me-"My jaw locked in place and the words died in my throat as I saw Uzume standing in the open bathroom doorway. Completely naked. She was using the towel to dry her hair leaving the rest of her body completely exposed, apparently having already been mostly dried off. Her large breasts jutted out, pink nipples decorating each breast. My eyes started to travel downwards towards her forbidden area, but with an enormous amount of effort I pulled them away. I turned around with a burning blush on my cheeks.

"Minato-kun? Is something wrong?" Uzume asks innocently.

"Ah, Uzume, you're, um, ah… you're naked" I state matter of factly.

"Is there something wrong with that? I thought you would enjoy looking at my body." I hear her footsteps grow closer as she walks towards me. I slowly turn my head to be met with a full face view of her gorgeous breasts. She sits down and grabs my arm affectionately, softly. "D-Do you… do you not want me? Is my body not good enough for you Minato?" She asks me with a shy, insecure look. Her eyes are tearing up already at the thought that I might not appreciate her body.

"N-No Uzume, your body, it's…" _Sexy as hell, gorgeous, perfect_ "beautiful, but it's not proper to look at a naked girl."

"But I'm your Sekirei Minato-kun. My body belongs to you." I have to pinch my nose at that statement, to stop the bleeding.

"Uzume…" I give a deep sigh at the situation I find myself in. Seriously, this was like something out of an anime. Here was a girl raised to believe that her Ashikabi, myself that is, was her master. A master whom she should dedicate her entire existence to.

"I appreciate that you want to be with me, but in the world it's not normal for girls to show their naked bodies to boys they just met."

"But-!" Uzume starts. I hold up a hand to silence her.

"I know it's just us in here, but we've still only met each other, Ashikabi bond or not, I still need to get to know you before I can feel comfortable with… well something like this." I keep my eyes averted purposely as I speak. "I'm not saying you're not beautiful Uzume-chan, but for now I'd like to get to know you. Who know where it'll go from there?" I turn and smile at her face, the towel thankfully wrapped around her body now.

"I-I guess that's ok Minato-kun…" Uzume says hesitantly, still feeling unsure.

I stand up and take her free hand not holding the towel.

"It'll be a good thing Uzume-chan, I promise. Now go get some clothes on." I lead her towards my room. "Just pick anything out of the closet that looks good, ok? As soon as you're dressed, we'll go clothes shopping for you and we'll check out that inn." She nods and walks into my room, closing the door while the sounds of her getting dressed drift out.

It's only a few minutes before she comes out dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt of mine with the word 'Wagtail' written on the front, with an actual design of a wagtail above it. I silently thank my growth spurt of about a year ago as the jeans fit Uzume almost too well, the shirt also failing at hiding her amazing curves.

"Ready!" She smiles brightly at me which I return in kind. And from there we head out.

"Minato-kun, let me help! You don't need to carry _everything_ by yourself" Uzume semi-scolds me as we walk out of the third and thankfully our last clothing store in the city.

"I've got this" I grunt out. "It's my duty both as a man and as your Ashikabi." I shift the weight of the three large bags in my hands. I did say Uzume should splurge on some clothes…

Uzume merely giggles at me. "Minato-kun, you're silly. It's a Sekirei's duty to serve their Ashikabi." She grabs two of the bags out of my hand, ignoring my complaints. "Besides, they're my clothes. It's only right I should carry them."

"Alright, but if you have trouble carryi-" I stop and stare as a single white veil snakes its way down Uzume's arms and pulls the bags up to her shoulders, where two thick strands of white veils inconspicuously grabs holds the weight of the bags. _Of course, she can just use her veils. I'm so stupid._

"So what now Minato-kun?" Uzume latches onto my arm with obvious affection, ignoring both the bags and the nasty glares all the men around are giving me.

"Um, apartment hunting. The landlord gave me a week to move out after I talked to him. It's pretty late in the season for renters but with my allowan-" _Shit my allowance is halved!_ I blanched at that thought. _It's the end of renting season I've only got a week to find a cheap apartment! And that's without paying for Uzume. Should I beg mom? No, she'll never let me live that down… And she still wouldn't give me any more money. Shit, shit, SHIT!_ I closed my eyes in frustration as the only solution floated through my head. _I have to ask Uzume for money. I hate it but… I have to!_

"Is something wrong Minato-kun" I open my eyes to see Uzume staring at me worriedly.

"You could say that" I sigh. I needed a drink at the moment. Nothing alcoholic, but some water or even tea would be welcomed greatly.

We sit down at a small outdoor table in front of a local coffee shop with two bottles of water. It's only two in the afternoon but the crowds are still bustling, and of course every man that passes shoots me the dirtiest glare imaginable as Uzume sidles her chair up to mine.

"I'm not going to cut corners here. We're in trouble." I state plain and simple.

"Why? What happened?"

"I'm poor, which means almost no complexes will lease an apartment to me. On top of that my mom isn't going to cosign with me for any type of housing, which narrows our options even more. Stack that with the fact that it's the end of the season, nobody's going to want to sign me."

"Minato-kun, you can just use my ca-"

"I know Uzume, I know. It goes against everything I've ever been taught, but right now that's the only solution I can think of." I hate this. I hate the idea of being completely supported by someone else. It's a man's job to support himself, that's what I've always believed. And here I am, about to be floated along by MBI's money. I

"I'm only getting Sixty-thousand yen a month and the cheapest place is fity-five thousand for one person. It's obvious I'm going to need a job. But even so, I'll just barely scrape by on cup ramen and no utilities each month." I slouch in my seat, finishing off the rest of my water.

"It'll be fine Minato-kun" Uzume slides her chair right up to mine and leans into my side. She rests her head on my shoulder. "It doesn't matter to me that you don't have a lot of money. What does matter is that you're trying your best for both of us."

I give a wry smile. "But my best isn't good enough, is it? It isn't good enough for college and it isn't good enough for you. I can't even provide a roof for both of us to live under so how can MBI expect me to fight other people in the city. You must hate being stuck with such a useless Ashikabi…" I crush my empty water bottle in my hand.

Uzume looks at me with a wounded expression. "Don't you ever say that. I'll never hate you, no matter what happens. Even if we live under a tree, I'll enjoy it because you're there with me Mina-"

"Excuse me" a calm, polite voice interrupts. "I couldn't help but overhear your rather interesting predicament." Uzume and I turn towards the source of the voice to find a purple-haired woman staring at us intently with a cup of tea gently cupped in her hands. She only looks like she's in her late twenties but her clothes don't match her age. She looks like a miko, complete with purple hakama, white haori, and sandals. But her regal posture as she sits and her perceptive eyes picking out every detail betrays a strength not natural to mikos. A bag of groceries rest beside her chair similar to our clothes bags sitting beside ours.

"Y-yeah?" I stutter out stupidly.

"Would you be interested in a solution?"

I immediately bob my head up and down. Uzume grips my arms in excitement with stars in her eyes. "Yes ma'am!" We chorus loudly. She raises a hand to stifle a giggle at our enthusiastic response.

"Oh my, so enthusiastic already and I haven't even told you anything." She giggles again before regaining her calm composure.

"I happen to own an inn on the north side of the city. At the moment I only have one boarder, but I'm currently looking for more. Interested?" An inn in the north? Something about that sounds familiar but I'm too excited and anxious at the moment give it much thought.

Uzume bobs her head up and down but I reign in my enthusiasm a bit. "How… How much is the rent?"

The woman takes a sip of her tea. "Fifty Thousand yen a month. Shared toilet, bath, washer, and drier are included with rent along with two meals a day. However you won't receive food if you aren't present when meals are being served. Leftovers are only kept for those who work long shifts which results in them missing a meal. You can use the kitchen any time I am not using it as long as you only use self-bought ingredients unless I specifically give you permission otherwise. And you must clean after yourself if you do cook."

"Minato-kun, that's perfect!" Uzume wraps her arms around my midsection in a crushing hug which I subconsciously return.

It _is_ perfect. Meals and basically all utilities included with rent, at a respectable price I can pay for with some cash left over for myself. I'll still need a job to be able to comfortably pay rent but that isn't the issue at the moment. There is one thing still bothering me, however.

"So?" The lady raises an eyebrow as she waits for a response.

"I just have one question…" I tighten my grip on Uzume "How much extra will I have to pay for both of us to live there?"

The woman waves her hand dismissively. "I won't charge you any extra. However I have three conditions you _absolutely must follow_ if you want me to keep it that way. First, I notice you two are _not_ married, and if you intend on sleeping in the same room you must refrain from performing any lewd acts under my roof. No exceptions. If you sleep together, full body clothes on and no fondling." I had no intention of doing any of that with Uzume any time soon. Uzume however looked disappointed.

The woman sips her tea again before continuing. "The second condition is much simpler than the first. You must pay your rent on time each month. If you pay on time frequently I might be lenient if you run short one month in the future. But as new tenants I expect timely and full payments." _Okay, that's not difficult, especially if I get a job._

The woman stops again to finish the rest of her tea. She sets down her cup and folds her hands in her lap. "The third rule is that I expect both of you to help me out in keeping the house neat and tidy. A few weekly chores isn't much to ask for when compared to a hefty increase in your rent now is it?" She gives an eerie smile coupled along with a frightening aura which sends shivers down my spine. "So, considering those three rules, have you decided?"

 _Of course I have_. Those three conditions weren't anywhere as extreme as I was expecting them to be considering how much extra it is to provide for an extra person. Housework is my forte with all those years of being forced to do the manual labor in my house by my sister and mom giving me experience in any form of household chore.

I stick out my hand for a hand shake. "I accept your invitation to, uh…" I realize she hasn't told me the name of her inn yet.

"It's called Izumo Inn" the woman reaches out and gently shakes my hand. "My name is Asama Miya, your new landlord."

"Sahashi Minato" I reply. I let go of her hand in shock as the recent memory of the phone call with my mother is brought up. Hadn't she mentioned that exact same name to me not an hour and a half ago? Izumo Inn, an inn in the northern side of the city. They have to be the same. I stare at Miya as Uzume introduces herself and enthusiastically shakes our new landlady's hand, while one thought runs through my head,

 _Does Miya know my mom?_

It's a curious thought, but certainly not important at the moment and I doubt asking right now would provide any useful information. Besides, the even if she knew my mom, the name Sahashi didn't cause her to react at all. Quickly losing interest I file away the thought for a later date as Miya stops shaking Uzume's hand and stands up.

"I'm afraid I have to leave, as I have two new boarders to prepare for." Miya gives another one of her gentle smiles. "Should I be expecting you this evening?"

I give a nod.

Miya nods in acknowledgement. "Well then, for tonight only I'll hold off on dinner until you two have moved your belongings into your room. Every new boarder should end their first day at Izumo Inn with a specially made Izumo Inn meal." She gently shakes both of our hands again and with a "Goodbye Sahashi-kun. Goodbye Uzume-chan" she heads out into the crowd.

Uzume and I sit in comfortable silence at the table for a few more minutes as we bask in the feeling of relief and happiness. I didn't realize how stressed I was until now. My chest felt lighter than ever as an almost unbearably heavy weight was lifted off of it. I had a place to live that I could afford, access to decent paying jobs, 'free' meals and utilities, and the most important thing is that Uzume could live with me to.

I wrap an arm around Uzume and squeeze her affectionately.

Today was a good day.

A few hours and one extremely tiring trek with all my belongings in tow finds me at the front door of a modest looking home. The only indication I'm in the right place is the sign on the fence with the words 'Izumo Inn' on the front and certain information regarding boarding here below that.

We haven't even knocked on the door and it opens to show Miya in the exact same outfit we saw her in earlier with a broom in her hand.

"You're just on time" she smiles at us, gently beckoning us inside. It hits me the second we walk inside, the simple yet familial feel of this place, it's absolutely perfect.

"Welcome to Izumo Inn" she welcomes us.

"We put ourselves in your care." I bow and Uzume does her best at a bow with the massive sack of belongings being held by her veils hanging off her back. Hopefully it'll just look like Uzume has super strength… although I'm not sure that's the best image of 'normality' to convey either.

"Your room is Room Two Hundred and Two" Miya leads us to our room, a smallish room but more than large enough for everything I have. I walk in and set my stuff down.

"Minato-kun, I'm going to set this down out here. It's too large to fit through the door" Uzume says as she sets the large sack down in front of our room.

Miya nods in understanding. "As long as you move everything into your room before tonight ends, I'm fine with that."

"We'll make sure the hallway's clear" I promise her.

"What's blocking the hallway?" An unfamiliar voice drifts up from the stairs followed by an unfamiliar body.

 _Wow, Yukari would sure like him_. He's a pretty boy, through and through with feminine features and a thin body to follow up. His hair is a unique gray even though he looks young, maybe mid twenties. His outfit is not entirely strange but also not common, a white button up dress shirt and dark black dress pants to follow.

"Oh, are these our new boarders?" The man asks Miya. She nods in response. He walks over to me and extends his hand.

"It's good to meet you. My name's Kagari"

"My name's Uzume!" Uzume smiles comfortably as she shakes his hand. He turns to me after they finish with the same outstretched hand.

I shake his hand. "My name's Sahashi Minato…" I bite my lip as the obvious question comes to mind. "Are you and Miya…" I bite off the rest of the question as I notice the lack of a ring on either of his hands.

"Am I her husband? I'm afraid not. It's saddening to say that he passed away some time ago. I'm just a regular boarder."

"This was my husband's house before he passed away. He always helped out someone in need and I can only do the same. That's why I couldn't help but overhear you earlier."

"Thank you for letting us stay here" Uzume and I bow again towards the landlady.

"Oh raise your heads you two. There's no need to thank me anymore, I'm just doing what's right." Miya turns to head down the stairs. "Now wasn't a home cooked dinner promised to you two?"

Kagari grins at us. "I'm jealous. You can only experience Miya's cooking for a first time once in a lifetime. Savor it."

And with that we head downstairs to a good meal and a new life.

 _But how long will it be until Uzume will have to fight?_

I shake the thought out of my head, ready to enjoy the benefits of Izumo Inn.

"This is absolute bullshit!" Sekirei number One Hundred and Five growled as she paced around the medium sized meeting room. "We're just wasting time here!"

"Just sit down already Beni," Sekirei number One Hundred and Four sighed from a large couch. A soda was clutched in her bare hands. She watched her partner carve her path of pacing into the carpet even more. "We were ordered here by the Director himself so there's no point in arguing.

Benitsubasa glared at the other Sekirei. "If the Director ordered us then why isn't Black here? She's under his authority too!"

Haihane raised a single eyebrow. "Do you really believe that?"

"Well…no, not really, but he _did_ specify that Karasuba be here." Haihane snorted at that but didn't say anything.

The room went back to a tense silence, the only sound being made from Benitsubasa's pacing. It was only a few minutes until the door opened allowing two more individuals to enter the room.

"How are you doing girls?" Ichinomiya Natsuo asked the two waiting Sekirei politely.

"I'm always great Natsuo-kun!" Benitsubasa replied happily.

"Eh, I'm bored…" Haihane muttered over her soda can. "I could be watching shows right now…"

"Do you know what's going on Natsuo-kun?" Benitsubasa asked her Ashikabi.

"Nope. I'm just as clueless as you are." He took a seat in a lounge chair next to the couch Haihane was seated on.

"What about you Black?" Benitsubasa's affectionate tone disappeared as she addressed the other individual that had entered the room.

Sekirei number Four merely smiled back with that unnervingly carefree smile before shaking her head.

"I hope it's something worth my time." Karasuba leaned up against a wall, one hand attached to the hilt of her nodachi.

Natsuo simply smiled. "I'm sure it's something important, The Director never does anything without good reason."

"He better have a good reason, I need to be training! If we're going to be the Disciplinary Squad, then we shouldn't be wasting our time with stupid meetings."

Natsuo sent one of his calm smiles towards the Red Sekirei. "You should learn to relax some Beni. It's still only the first stage in the plan so I doubt we'll be required to interfere much, if at all."

"Yeah, I know that but… It just doesn't feel right to be doing nothing at all."

"Sometimes you need to accept the situation" Karasuba spoke up. "It won't do any good complaining if you can't change anything."

Benitsubasa glared at her leader. "Weren't you just complaining a moment ago?"

Karasuba smiled back. "I can do something about it."

The door opened, interrupting the budding argument. Hiroto Minaka strode in flanked by two others. "I apologize for the lateness. Unexpected circumstances required my immediate attention." His words fell on deaf ears as the room's attention was focused on the person at his right shoulder.

The four Disciplinary Squad members looked over the new arrival to Minaka's right. She was young, probably around Karasuba's age if not a year or two older, with dark red hair falling down her back free of any bindings. A scabbard for a katana sat on her side at her waist complete with katana inside. The rest of the room was focused on her clothing.

She wore the uniform of the Disciplinary Squad.

"What the hell?!" Benitsubasa exploded first. "Who the hell is she?" she pointed an angry finger at the unfamiliar woman.

"Calm down Red, I'll tell you in just a moment" Minaka replied calmly.

"This is Rin. As of today, I'm adding her as a member of the Disciplinary Squad."

"What?!" Benitsubasa's reaction was the only vocal one. Karasuba raised an eyebrow in lazy surprise. Haihane didn't move but her attention was entirely focused on her new coworker.

"She's going to be working with you three from now on while the Sekirei Plan advances." Minaka looked over towards Karasuba. "She's under your direct supervision Black."

Karasuba ignored the Director and turned her attention towards the new Sekirei.

"What number are you?"

"Sekirei number One Hundred and Nine" Rin replied calmly. "I'm looking forward to working with you all." Karasuba merely smirked in reply, but her mind was racing as it digested that fact. There were only One Hundred and Eight Sekirei in total as confirmed by Number One herself. So how in the world did this woman show up claiming to be something that didn't exist?

"So if she's going to be on the Disciplinary Squad does that mean Natsuo has to…?" Benitsubasa glared unhappily between her Ashikabi and Rin.

"I assume I'll have to wing her too" Natsuo sighed and stood up, adjusting his suit. He looked up to find a sword point aimed between his eyes.

"I'd sit back down if I were you" Rin said cheerfully. Natsuo swallowed nervously at the blade hovering mere inches from his face. Benitsubasa and Haihane jumped up at the threat towards their Ashikabi, ready for a fight.

"If you even try and touch me I'll separate your head from your shoulders before you can even blink." Natsuo nodded as beads of sweat formed on his brow. He sat back down in his chair. Rin sheathed her sword.

She turned toward Minaka. "I never agreed to let you choose my Ashikabi."

"We assumed you knew that when you agreed to join the Disciplinary Squad." The man on Minaka's left spoke up. He was an unspectacular man, young, with long black hair and glasses complete with a laboratory outfit.

"You assumed wrong. I'll work in your squad but I get to choose my own Ashikabi."

"What makes you think that we'll allo-" the man was silenced by Minaka's hand.

"Quiet Mamoru. She's right, we never specified if we would choose her Ashikabi." The Director turned his attention towards Rin. "If I let you find your own Ashikabi, will our agreement still stand?" Rin nodded. "Then I'll allow it. However you must inform me of whomever they are and they cannot have any Sekirei beforehand. And please refrain from mentioning your involvement in the Disciplinary Squad."

"And if they happen to wing another afterword?"

"Then they wing another one" Minaka shrugged "There's not much you can do to prevent that."

"I can accept that" Rin smiled.

"If she's going to be working with us from now on, what's her squad name going to be? It can't be 'Red' and I refuse to give that name up."

"Is 'Green' fine?" Rin asked, earning a nod from the Director. "I guess I'm 'Green' now then."

A moment of silence passed through the room.

"Now that the news has been given, you're all free to leave now." Minaka turned and headed towards the doorway with the scientist Mamoru in tow before stopping again. "Ah, one thing I forgot to mention. Rin is not registered in any of our systems. As you've probably guessed from her number, she's considered top secret information. If any information about her leaves this room you will be punished accordingly."

"Does Doctor Sahashi know about her?" Natsuo ventured, noticing that the second in command wasn't present.

"No, and let's keep it that way." Minaka replied before leaving. The door shut behind him leaving an entirely new tense atmosphere. Natsuo stood up and stretched his limbs out.

"I'll leave your girls alone. I have unfinished work for the Director and you know how he is about deadlines." He left the room leaving only the four Sekirei of the Disciplinary Squad alone.

Benitsubasa immediately walked up to her newest coworker. "I don't know who you are and I don't care, but you better be strong! If you're a weakling like most of the Sekirei out there then I'll terminate you myself."

Rin's smile didn't waver. "I highly doubt you'll have to worry about that. I can hold my own in a fight."

"Hmph, those are just words. I can't trust you to watch my back until I know you're strong enough to at least fight me."

"Maybe we can spar sometime in the near future? So I can show you that I'm strong enough to trust."

Benitsubasa stepped back, startled at the suggestion. She regained her composure quickly and scowled. "I hope you're prepared to train your ass off then, 'cause there's no way a newbie like you can fight me right now."

"Maybe we should put those words to the test soon." Rin's fingers gripped her sword hilt tightly.

"Maybe" Benitsubasa agreed before pulling Haihane off the couch. "Let's go Haihane, I have the urge to hit something and you don't have anything to do."

"But… my shows…" Haihane struggle weakly.

"Forget about your shows! I need to train and frankly so do you!" Benitsubasa pulled the barely resisting Haihane out of the room.

"It was nice meeting you" Blue muttered before she was dragged out of the door.

Karasuba lazily watched her two subordinates leave the room before turning her full attention back to the newcomer. To put it simply, she was interested in the woman. Her entire posture and atmosphere radiated calm and self-assuredness of her own abilities, if her conversation with Red was anything to go by. And unlike any of the other Sekirei, Karasuba had no knowledge of the mysterious One Hundred and Nine other than she was skilled with a katana. The sword had only come out when she had threatened Natsuo but the ease, comfort, and familiarity with which the weapon was handled betrayed some of the woman's experience with the weapon.

"I hope to get along with you while we work together." Rin turned towards Karasuba and flashed that same smile. The smile so similar to the one that Karasuba always wore.

"I'm not known to get along with others. I prefer to work alone." Karasuba replied.

"I know, I read your profile. You have worked with others though. In fact, you've worked in the previous two Disciplinary Squads as a subordinate." Karasuba's eyebrow rose. Minaka certainly entrusted this woman with a lot of delicate information.

"I hear you're the strongest of the Sekirei released in the city. How could someone like you work under others?"

"Those days were much different than these, with certain situations requiring my efforts. Besides, the only two Sekirei stronger than me are either dead or unaffiliated with the Sekirei Plan entirely." Rin nodded at the explanation.

"I hope we never have to cross swords then."

Karasuba smiled at that. "A common sentiment shared amongst the other Sekirei."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ**

 **Hopefully this will be the last AN that I REQUIRE you to read in order to get a fix on the story. To answer your first question, yes, there are going to be two OCs in the story. The first is, of course, Sekirei Number One Hundred and Nine aka Rin. The second will be the briefly mentioned scientist Mamoru.**

 **Again, I know it's been a while since I've updated but I hope to update more in the future as my schedule has just opened up a LOT more free time. So in the future expect updates from One Hundred and Nine!**

 **Also, the position for Beta Reader is still open but I may have a viable candidate (I just replied to you so you know who you are)**

 **PLEASE DON'T FLAME BUT IF YOU DO I WILL ROAST S'MORES USING THEM AND THAT WILL ONLY INCREASE MY ENJOYMENT WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE INTENDED PURPOSE OF SAID FLAME.**

 **Blinkingman.**


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